


Tucked Away

by sheEstelle



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Auror Harry Potter, Fluff and Angst, Growing Up, Hurt/Comfort, It Gets Trippy, M/M, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Time Malfunctions, hard choices
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2019-11-05
Packaged: 2021-01-23 07:10:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21316222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sheEstelle/pseuds/sheEstelle
Summary: "You don't know who I am?""So long as your track record is clear of horrendous crime I’m sure you’ll do fine. Anything less than murder can be easily enough ignored." Harry turned ridged. "I’m welcome to assume you haven’t killed a man, yes?""Well, it's a complicated situation." Draco's stare seemed to bore through the Auror's soul. "He wasn't a very nice man," Harry added, pathetically.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Gregory Goyle & Draco Malfoy
Comments: 1
Kudos: 22





	Tucked Away

Draco wasn't the fondest of the outdoors when he was younger. He's always preferred a nice book, tucked in a neat and glow lit corner with a sweater and chasm deep cup of tea. The books he read took him farther than the boundaries of his village than he'd ever imagined. Tales of small towns full of magical mysteries and aliens from Titan that just want love. But books do little to help a young boy grow relationships.

As small and close as his town is, Draco's only friends growing up were of the lovely Goyle family that owned a Patisserie just down the road from the manor. He wasn't all that mean if you attempted a conversation with him, but the group needed a 'villain' in their story. Pain bursts through his skull in remembrance of those less pleasant times.

Kids mature eventually, though. Even though they hardly needed the money, Draco opened a book shop next to the Patisserie a few years back. Every once and a while someone will walk in that he remembers from the schoolyard and they'll have a civilized conversation like well-functioning adults and move on their merry way. Some even gather the nerve to flirt with him.

The warm speech towards his figure never meant much to Draco. Words in this town usually teetered on superficial with nasty undertones. You can't seem to have a small town without them. Still, his day is brightened when someone comments kindly on his shop. It's his pride and joy- his passion in life.

The idea had first come to Draco in a fancy while reading Parnassus on Wheels and has stuck incessantly ever since. He was only 15 at the time and his mum fell victim to much of the blow of Draco's pipe dream ramblings. She pushed him to work towards his goal with loving vigor.

So, with much effort, some plaster, paint, woodwork, flirting with the foreign electrician, and many cups of tea, Draco founded Paragraph Pantry: A Malfoy Company. A decidedly modern and alliterative name but people tend to just call it the Pantry.

The Pantry was one and a half stories tall with a delicate half spiral staircase that led to the loft. Columns ran throughout the building with shelves of books etched into their frame. Comfy and mismatchen chairs littered the landscape. It was all very neat with author name losing to color coordination this week.

Every design choice was carefully made to bring to life the fantasy worlds he loved to delve into. Draco even made tiny wands for pens. Imagine using wands for magic- it's so abnormal yet tasteful. Draco summoned one of the pens from a cubby far off with a gesture of his hand and inspected it.

He's tried several times to get his abilities to flow through a stick such as this but it didn't feel natural. He twirled the pen between his index fingers and inspected the spruce wood's speckled grain in appreciation before settling it on the page.

Draco slumped into his favorite chunky olive chair, thin glasses falling over his nose. Reading was splendid but writing could be so tedious. He'd only just opened shop and it was unlikely for anyone to pop in this morning or at all on a Monday but the blonde hoped desperately for someone to come save him from his task.

The first words of today's poetry scratched slowly on the paper with dreadful noise. The next few hours consisted of a few passionate moments of intensity that Draco will look back on with pride as well as a lot of scratching, tossing, and retouching. By lunch, he was mentally exhausted.

.  
.  
.

With immense relief, Draco stretched and made his way put the door in the front corner of his shop. No need to flip the sign to closed, they knew where he was if they wanted to check out.

The brightness of the outdoors was enough to make Draco blink but he made his way to the Patisserie with minimal effort. The muffled sounds of the Goyle family dealing with rush hour and the heavenly scent were enough to let slip a sigh.

"Gregory! I'm here and I'd rather like some tea and possibly companionship." Draco announced dramatically with a grin.

No one so much as glanced at Draco. It was the usual, after all. Gregory Goyle, Draco's best friend since diapers, held up a finger to gesture that he'd be just a moment. He was checking out Marjorie Maryland, a terribly old fashioned bingo girl that didn't know how to keep her nose out of other people's business. Greg would rather eat a wet sock than speak to her for more than 5 minutes at a time.

Draco, ever so graciously, decided to save his beloved pal from the old lady. She was squinting deeply at the menu, accentuating the deep crows feet that accented her eyes. "Ten euros for a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread? You may as well be giving them away for free. Now, if you had a wife to keep you straight you wouldn't be making these poor business decisions. Ya see, women-"

"Marjorie!" Draco stepped to her side, slipping a large bill to pay for whatever she'd been ordering to Greg. "What a pleasant surprise to see you here today!"

Her squint released quickly into a wide eyed gaping exasperation. "I'm here every day, you silly young man!" Draco's sure the old woman's hearing wasn't quite strong enough to hear Greg's mumble of disdain for her truth.

"Yet each day you manage to take my breath away. I'll get you saddled up here, the grandkids are waiting for you." The blonde added with a wink. Greg handed him the bag and his change, already taking the charge of his daily order.

Draco gave the woman her tasteless bread with a farewell and a tap on the shoulder before turning to Greg. The blonde settled his elbows against the Patisserie countertop, arse in the air.

"Gregoryyy," Draco sighed dramatically before lifting himself to a decent height. "This town is so dreadfully dull. Please provide me with sweets to drown my sorrows."

Gregraised an eyebrow, "We've got a new recipe in the works this week. It's a Mexican sweet bread, pan dulce. Care to give it a shot?"

"Of course, my dear lackey." Greg snorted. "I welcome with open arms anything new that might take me away from this dreadful town." Draco put on an obnoxious frown. "However much I'd wish to be whisked away by some foreign man to Greece, I'm afraid the dear mum would wither away. She's gone paper thin, Gregory."

"She's the most lively lady in this town, Draco. I don't think she's capable of 'going paper thin'."

"Well, it's never good to chance it."

Greg stared at Draco for a moment, expression intense. "Why don't you leave? Actually, legitimately, leave? You've always wanted to and you've long since been of age."

The question had come up time and time again, each of Draco's excuses crushed with time. "I don't know if I can." Draco blew a misplaced hair from his face. "This town is all I know."

"Then bring the 'interesting' here."

The thought followed Draco incessantly for the next two weeks.

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.  
.

**Author's Note:**

> Yo. I have hecca adhd so hit me up with any of those spelling errors. I read it over twice but I’m sure they’re in there still.
> 
> You’re all lovely and thank you so much for reading chapter one! <3
> 
> Short because I’m burning myself out in school but I’ll live and more is coming soon.


End file.
